


The time when Yugyeom got a girlfriend and it didn't work out well

by nothingcreative



Category: GOT7
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Eating Disorders, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kim Yugyeom-centric, OT7, Other, Protectiveness, Recovery, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 10:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11827131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingcreative/pseuds/nothingcreative
Summary: Yugyeom got a girlfriend. The others had a bad feeling about her that turned out to be true.





	The time when Yugyeom got a girlfriend and it didn't work out well

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't edited this yet, but I hope that it is still decent :)
> 
> Thank you, I hope you like it!

 

Yugyeom has had some ups and downs over the years with his health.

There was this health scare a while ago, around the end of the last year. 

He had slowed down his eating habits to the point where he was only having about one meal a day. Instead of getting a good night sleep, Yugyeom would spend late night's practicing or sitting awake in bed. He wasn't drinking enough water, barely enough to keep him standing - instead he opted for caffeine, the only thing keeping him awake during their busy schedule.

His body looked almost sickly. Bony, cheeks sunken in, collarbones more apparent. You were even able to count some of his ribs. He hid it under his clothes well.

All this coupled together was enough to have him almost fainting after every concert, collapsing on his knees left and right.

After discovering the reason for his fatigue, management placed him on a strict recovery platform. They instructed for his hyungs to keep an eye on him at all times; making sure that he ate, ensuring that he drank enough water, helping him sleep at night.

Jinyoung sat with Yugyeom whenever he ate, keeping him company and sometimes showing him funny pictures on his phone. Yugyeom discovered that Jinyoung has taken a lot of sneaky photos of the other member's when they were sleeping in public. Jinyoung told him to keep it a secret. 

Jackson always had an extra bottle of water for Yugyeom and wouldn't leave until he saw Yugyeom drink at least half of it.

Around the end of each day, Jaebum or Mark would speak with him. Not always about the recovery, instead it was often random thoughts or ideas. He liked their talks.

At night, BamBam would crawl into his bed beside him. Sometimes they would just lay there in silence and that would be enough for Yugyeom to sleep, but other times the two would talk for a while until they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Yugyeom felt like a burden for a long while. He was making their lives harder by being the way he was.

But the others had been so quick to reassure him that they care about him and that they just want to see him be happy again. They want to see him smile, see his energy back.

Yugyeom wanted to make them proud of him again.

After all the help, Yugyeom had started to recover. 

His body filled back out. His ribs disappeared behind thicker skin and he gained a soft little belly.

Youngjae loved to quickly poke and squish his stomach before running away, laughing when Yugyeom chased after him.

Yugyeom's collarbones became less defined, his cheeks fuller. His thighs had more meat on them, almost all muscle from the dancing but Jackson had been quick to tell them that there was this nice softness to them.  _"Like a nice pillow"_  were his exact words, accompanied by a cheeky wink.

Whenever they were sitting beside each other and they were tired, Jackson liked to just set his head in Yugyeom's lap and rest. Yugyeom didn't quite understand the appeal.

The fans were happy to see that Yugyeom was more healthy. They constantly made posts about how proud they were of him, how he looked so much happier now. He hadn't even realized they noticed his weight loss before.

Everything was working out for the better. 

Yugyeom gained confidence and a family that he feels really loves him.

 

And it was when Yugyeom was finally feeling happier with himself, that he met his girlfriend. 

They ran into each other in the doorway to a small coffee shop. Yugyeom was wearing a mask to hide most of his face, but her eyes lit up when she made eye-contact with him. Instead of screaming or freaking out, she introduced herself calmly and commented that she loves his music. He hadn't known what to say at the time; nodding awkwardly in reply, looking away. Quickly she had insisted that she was a _'casual fan'_ and not one of those crazier ones, and that she wasn't going to tweet out his location or anything. Again, he was quiet. One thing led to another, and they were sitting together in the coffee shop, talking for hours over their drinks.

Yugyeom wasn't really sure how he felt about her. She was pretty, smart, single - that's all he should care about, right? And yet, he didn't felt that immediate connection with her.

They hung out a few more times. Yugyeom found himself getting more comfortable around her. She always had something interesting to talk about, she could make him laugh. She felt familiar and he found that he liked that.

When he mentioned her to his family, they quickly jumped on board and basically demanded that he ask her out. He expressed his indifference but they shot them down.  _"She's a girl, Yugyeom. A girl who is interested in you. What more do you need?"_ and  _"Don't have such high standards. She sounds nice enough."_

The next day, Yugyeom asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes.

 

Things seemed to be going fine after that.

They were keeping it a secret from the fans for a while. She didn't want to be thrown into the spotlight and he didn't care either way. However, he insisted that she meet his group.

He introduced her to the others and they were nice enough, a bit awkward because they didn't quite know what to say. After she left, Jackson commented that she seems like a nice girl. Yugyeom could only nod in reply.

 

A few months went by.

Everything was the same, until there came a small incident.

His girlfriend was over at the dorm with him. They had been sitting in the living room, quietly watching a movie together. The others were in their respective rooms, wanting to give the two some privacy. 

Yugyeom can't quite remember what they started bickering about until it became a full-blown argument. He was trying to keep his voice down but she didn't seem to care if anyone heard her. At one point, with the yelling and jabs, he became silent. He didn't even bother saying anything in response, just looked down at his hands. 

This only irritated her further. She picked up her jacket from the arm of the couch and started to walk towards the door.

He felt guilty for not replying. He got up quickly and followed her, quietly calling out her name and asking if they could just talk about this.

She flipped around so fast, stopping right at the door. Her hand was faster, smacking the side of his arm and, in his surprise, he flinched. 

It had been quiet for a few seconds.

She huffed and with a roll of her eyes, said that she would text him later before leaving. The door slammed shut and Yugyeom flinched again, huffing at his skittish behavior.

He turned away from the door, feeling the stress of everything biting into his skin and making everything prickle. He felt the strong urge to scratch at his arms until the feeling went away but resented it - at least for the moment.

His eyes remained trained to the floor as Yugyeom started for his room. The craving of finding somewhere quiet was all he could think of. Then he caught two pairs of feet standing in front of him. Slowly, he trailed his gaze up until he reached their faces.

"Everything okay?" Jinyoung asked. The mood would have felt lighter if he said it with a scoff or with that judgy face of his, but instead he looked completely serious.

Jaebum didn't look any less either. His eyes, usually stony, had this underlying glint of worry in them that made the guilt Yugyeom felt increase tenfold.

Yugyeom nodded his head, suddenly feeling so small under their dual stares.

"Do you two fight like that often?" Jaebum asked, taking a step forward.

The stress was getting worse. All Yugyeom wanted was to just lie down, sleep this off. He found that his tone had more bite to it than he intended when he replied, "Who cares?"

"Yugyeom-" Jaebum began, but Jinyoung cut him off with;

"It's not healthy for a couple to fight like that. If it really happens that much, then maybe you should-"

This time Yugyeom interrupted, holding up his hand to stop them. He shook it in dismissal, eyes closing before slowly opening again. "Not often, okay? It's not often."

He expected them to press the matter more, but thankfully the two only nodded and didn't block his way when he walked around them to get to his room.

When the bedroom door closed, Jinyoung and Jaebum shared a knowing glance.

That night, Yugyeom slept through dinner. 

He woke up a few hours later, rolling over in his bed to find a neon sticky note that read  _"dinner is in the oven, it should be still warm for a while :)"._  

Yugyeom smiled.

 

Yugyeom and his girlfriend made up the next day. 

She told him that she forgave him. Distantly, Yugyeom recalled that she was the one who started the fight in the first place. Regardless, he was just glad that the weight was off his shoulders.

Things went mostly back to normal.

 

There were still those select moments that made the months with her feel like a roller coaster.

His girlfriend would get angry with him again, always dramatically leaving but not before smacking his arm or the side of his head or even shoving his chest until he stumbled.

His hyungs would ask him about it later but Yugyeom always shrugged them off, insisting that it was nothing and that it doesn't matter.

BamBam tried to have a heart-to-heart, seriously asking if Yugyeom was alright, but Yugyeom cut it off immediately. He told him that he was fine, that everyone was reading too far into it, that there was absolutely nothing wrong. BamBam didn't push, but only because he was shocked to silence when he saw the tears in Yugyeom's eyes.

 

Then there came the day that sent the roller-coaster completely off it's tracks. And the words that lit the ride on fire.

_"You know, Yuggie, I liked you better the way you were before."_

Yugyeom's heart sank. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant, but the implication definitely suggested that she doesn't like him as much now. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She sighs, "Don't get hostile with me. I'm just saying, and don't take this the wrong way, but shouldn't idols be more  _fit_?"

The mucky feeling that filled his body suddenly made Yugyeom feel a hundred times heavier than he is. He became much more aware of his body; aware of his stomach that showed just enough through his shirt to remind him that it's not flat, aware of his thighs that were pressing together, aware of everything. 

She continued, to his disdain, "I mean, you look fine, but you're just a  _bit_  more big than you should be. Right? You've noticed, haven't you?"

"Yes."

His heartbeat was pounding loud in his ears when she suggested, "You should go back to how you were before. It will make you so much more handsome, Yuggie, I promise. Won't you do it? For me?"

Yugyeom couldn't speak. He already felt sick.

He didn't realize that he was nodding.

 

Yugyeom didn't eat that night.

There was a sticky-note on the bedside table, but Yugyeom ignored it. He woke up early and discreetly shoveled the dinner into the trash, seeing no point in re-heating it.

He didn't grab anything for breakfast either. He convinced himself it was because he was feeling a bit sick - " _I must be coming down with something"_   _._  Yugyeom told the others such when they brought it up that morning.

Not giving them the chance to argue about it, Yugyeom told them that he was going to wait in the car and left.

Before everyone else left the door, Youngjae shoved a few extra granola bars into his pocket. He was going to make sure that Yugyeom ate them at the studio.

At the studio, Yugyeom pushed himself extra hard. Even during their quick breaks, he was still working. There was this look of determination on his face that left no room for argument.

Jackson managed to pulled him away, shoving a water bottle into his hands. Yugyeom must have drank as much as a few sips before handing it back.

The others gathered together and watched him, quiet and calculating.

Yugyeom had to stop for a second, leaning against his knees and taking deep breaths. He straightened back up, and with a slight sway, restarted the dance from the top.

That was their first warning.

 

The second warning came only a few days later. 

BamBam found Yugyeom standing at the counter in the bathroom, shirtless, face dripping with water, and staring at himself with a hard gaze. He was breathing heavily. His eyes searching his own frantically, as if searching for something.

You could see the bones of his spine hardly peaking out from his hunched back. His waist looked thinner than it did.  _He's losing too much weight, he isn't eating, he's-_

Yugyeom hadn't noticed him until BamBam spoke up, asking what's wrong.

The way Yugyeom violently flinched in surprise even scared BamBam, who immediately lowered his voice to a soft tone. He asked again.

Yugyeom sighed and straightened up, reaching over for a towel to dry his face. His reply was a curt  _I'm fine_. 

Before BamBam could say anything more, Yugyeom attempted to walk around him to leave the bathroom. BamBam caught his wrist, stopping his best friend from leaving.  _"Yugyeom_ ," he had begged,  _"Just talk to me_."

Yugyeom looked at him, forcing a smile on his face.  _"Seriously Bammie, everything's fine."_

BamBam hadn't known what to say. His grip on Yugyeom's wrist loosened enough for Yugyeom to wiggle free, walking around him and into their room.

BamBam told Mark about what he saw.

 

The third warning came the next night when Mark asked Yugyeom's girlfriend about the weight loss. He was expecting her to look worried, to explain her own theories, to say that it was just some dumb diet that management assigned.

He was not expecting her to smile and say,  _"I know! He looks so handsome, doesn't he?"_

 

 

The fourth warning was only caught by Yugyeom.

The seven of them were at practice. It had only been a few hours or so, but Yugyeom felt as exhausted as he would be from a whole day of work.

Mark, Jinyoung, and Youngjae had headed over to the benches for a quick breather. Youngjae leaned heavily against Jinyoung with a lazy smile.

Instead of going to the bench, BamBam opted instead to just lay down on the floor.

Jaebum and Jackson were still practicing those certain moves they had a bit of trouble with, but it was half-hearted. More to jog their memory.

Yugyeom was still putting 100% into the dancing he was doing, trying his best to perfect every angle and every move. During the quick turn, Yugyeom's vision suddenly blacked out, clouding at the edges and giving him the feeling of almost being lost.

Luckily, he only stumbled back a single step before catching himself. His vision cleared and he looked around, glad to find that nobody had noticed.

It wasn't fainting, but it was enough proof for Yugyeom that he was falling back into old habits.

 

The last warning was all they needed.

They were at a party. It was being hosted by a friend of theirs so they thought it was only polite to go. Plus, Jackson was really excited about all the dancing. The whole scene was very loud, thumping music and people everywhere.

The group decided to stay together, wanting to avoid getting separated, but Yugyeom's girlfriend had pulled Yugyeom away and the two disappeared into the crowd.

Jaebum insisted that it would be best to keep Yugyeom in their view so the six of them remained a couple feet away. They still gave the couple their privacy, but judging by the relieved looks Yugyeom gave them, their presence was appreciated.

For the first hour, things were tame. Youngjae and Jackson were dancing together, attempting to lure the other four to dance with them too. 

BamBam had joined in, but it was clear that he was more focused on keeping an eye on Yugyeom.

Jackson playfully started dancing against Jaebum's side, exaggerated and dramatic. Jaebum laughed and shoved at his shoulder, ducking his head to hide his embarrassed blush.

Jinyoung laughed at that, but stopped when he felt someone tap his arm. He looked over, finding that it was Mark. Mark's face looked troubled and when he pointed to where Yugyeom and his girlfriend were now arguing again, Jinyoung understood why.

She was upset about something. They couldn't quite hear her words from where they stood, but it was clear that they were angry.

She was waving her hands around in exasperation, gesturing around them and then gesturing directly to where Jinyoung and the others stood together. 

He followed her gesture, finding Jinyoung and Mark watching him. Immediately, he grew shy and he attempted to get her to quiet down, hating that his hyungs could see them fighting.

She grew more irritated when he shushed her, her yelling growing volume. Her hand flew up and smacked the side of his head. 

The way that Yugyeom flinched, hunching his shoulders in to make himself small, immediately had Jinyoung advancing towards them. Mark blindly grabbed for the others and pulled them along. The four followed, catching on quickly.

They each heard her huff, "Stop acting like such a baby! You're making me look like the bad guy, Yugyeom!"

He nodded, head down.

She shoved at his chest, before running her hands frustratingly back through her hair. Her gaze trailed over, noticing the six boys that had gathered around. With a roll of her eyes, she turned and walked away from them all. 

It was silent. The thumping music sounded distant almost.

Yugyeom finally looked up, face downcast and saddened. A mask was quickly put over top of it when he saw his hyungs standing beside him.

Jinyoung didn't beat around the bush: "Yugyeom, does she hit you like that a lot?"

"It doesn't hurt." Came the curt reply.

"Doesn't matter," Jackson chimed, "Does she?"

"It's fine."

"You aren't eating again." Youngjae mentioned.

"I know."

"You were getting better, Yuggie-"

"I  _know_."

The questions quieted down. Yugyeom looked back down, he was fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt.

Jinyoung didn't have the patience to wait any longer. "Is it her?"

Yugyeom didn't reply.

"Is she telling you not to eat?"

Yugyeom finally looked up, gaze skipping over his friends to instead search for where his girlfriend is standing. He was afraid she was standing close enough to hear. She was standing a ways away, arms crossed and watching them.

Youngjae followed his stare, narrowing his eyes at the girlfriend. She didn't notice him.

"Why, Yugyeom?" Mark asked, drawing the maknae's attention back to him.

"She liked me better the way I was." Yugyeom answered.

"When you were sick?"

" _Skinny._ "

"Yugyeom," Jaebum started, "You look fine now. You don't need to look how you did."

"She wants me to."

"Do  _you_  want to?"

Yugyeom sighed, "I don't know, it's what she wants-"

"She's wrong!" BamBam suddenly shouted. He was standing right in front of Yugyeom now.

Yugyeom felt cornered now. He wanted to push them away, wanted to leave and find somewhere quiet where he couldn't feel her stare. The itch under his skin made him restless, he found himself clenching his fists, nails digging into his palms.

BamBam poked at his chest, not enough to jostle him but enough to get his full attention again, "You deserve better than her, Yugyeom. Do you hate yourself or something? Is that why you're still with her?"

"Bam-" Youngjae began.

BamBam continued, "How can you let her just push you around like that? How could you just stop eating again? Do you even care about yourself?"

Yugyeom breathed out a shaky sigh. The six watched him, waiting for his reaction. Finally, he just shook his head and shouldered through the group of them, bee-lining for the front door.

The group watched as he left. They saw his girlfriend follow him out the door, calling out for him as if she had a reason to be talking to him in the first place.

Jaebum made the move to follow but Jinyoung laid a hand on his chest to stop him. "Give them a minute," was Jinyoung's explanation. 

The six waited with bated breaths.

 

After a few minutes, they went out to follow him.

They found Yugyeom sitting on the porch, arms folded atop his knees, staring out at the street with a blank gaze. His girlfriend was nowhere to be found -  _she must have left_ , the six assumed.

Jackson sat down beside Yugyeom, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He let out a sigh of exhaustion, and raised his voice enough to talk to all six of them, "Well, I'm beat. How about we go home now, yeah?"

The six pretended that they didn't hear Yugyeom sniff. Jackson pretended that out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't see Yugyeom discreetly swiping at the tears under his eyes.

"I'll get the car." Mark supplied in response, moving off the deck and starting down the sidewalk.

The rest of them had gathered around Yugyeom. Not crowding him, but just standing close enough to reassure him that they are  _there_. 

Yugyeom's shoulders quivered when he exhaled.

Jaebum pretended that he thought it was because he was cold and shrugged off his own jacket, draping it around Yugyeom. Yugyeom tightened the jacket around him immediately.

 

Yugyeom didn't speak until the seven of them were in the car, on their way home. 

He was sandwiched between BamBam and Youngjae in the back - their usual sitting arrangement. Mark was driving with Jaebum sitting in the passenger side. Jackson and Jinyoung sat in the middle. It felt familiar, comforting.

_"I broke up with her."_

The six others wanted to act as though the news didn't bring them joy, but they couldn't hide their sighs of reliefs and the tired smiles that graced their faces.

BamBam shoulder Yugyeom lightly, "Things will get better now. We'll help you get better again, Yuggie."

Youngjae squeezed his arm, dropping his head against Yugyeom's broad shoulder, "Yeah! Think of all the food we'll eat!"

Yugyeom didn't respond, but only because he felt he didn't need to.

Mark looked through the rear-view mirror, brimming with pride when he saw that Yugyeom was smiling. 

They were going to help him get better again. Just like they did before. And they would make sure that this wouldn't happen again. They would keep their Yugyeom safe.

 

The recovery didn't take as long as it had previously.

There was still some hiccups down the road, just like previously, but none of them left him behind. They stayed supportive, understanding of what he's going through.

Yugyeom no longer flinched whenever somehow beside him raised their arm. He didn't duck his head when walking past them. Didn't apologize after he would tease the others.

He was back to their old Yugyeom.  

And they were just so glad to see him happy again.

 

 

 


End file.
